The 7 runners-up for the leaf variety of the year 2024
By now the shock has probably worn off – Seed Junky didn't win the “Variety of the Year” three to three?!?! Needless to say, Seed Junky and his strain empire will be fine (and he makes a lot of appearances here). The crown goes to low-key California breeder Blockhead's Blockberry aka Superboof, a playful strain that broke through the flatulence and candy profile series of previous SOTY winners for something spicier, rooted more in fruit than fuel.
As editor David Downs reports in our 2024 Strain of the Year announcement, Super Boof comes from two strains that weed snobs have long underestimated: Tangie and Purple Punch. Looks like some apologies are in order! Or, if you still prefer to laugh at the boof train, we've concluded that these six alternatives offer similar effects and taste experiences.
7. Runner-up: Sherbanger
If Gelato is the muse of rap songs, Sherbanger is better suited to a house beat. Electro house duo Havoc on World created their song Sherbanger in perfect harmony with what the strain offers. It has the sweet notes of sherbet but also blooms with the pillowy, sour aroma of headbanger. This is a great strain before a night on the dance floor, keeping your nerves at bay but giving you the courage to show off all your best moves. Sherbanger is available in nearly 1,000 stores on Leafly, but that's only half of Super Boof.
Related
How to order weed delivery online from Leafly
6. Runner-up – Gastropop
Another winner from Compound Genetics evokes sweetness instead of savory terpenes. Gastro Pop comes from the Apples & Bananas x Grape Gas strains, making it a cousin of Superboof with a crazy extended family. Apples & Bananas itself is created by intertwining old legacy varieties like GDP with newer hitters like Gelatti and Blue Power; In combination with Grape Gas it covers the flavor spectrum of sweet berries, diesel fumes and creamy.
5. Runner-up: Cap Junky
Has anyone seen Gladiator II? If so, imagine if Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal could team up and breed imperial cannabis strains instead of killing each other. This is Cap Junky – a cross between Alien Cookies x Kush Mints #11, but also a cross between the talents of Capulator and Seed Junky, two Canna Coliseum champions. Cap Junky evokes the same playfulness of Super Boof, with a flavor that favors a more menthol and earthy experience. Cap Junky is available in almost as many stores as Super Boof, but the experience is less varied and more aggressive.
Related
Spark joy with Super Boof – the 2024 Leafly strain of the year
4. Runner-up – Zoap
If you need a palate cleanse, rinse your mouth with Zoap. Deo Farms in the Bay Area made Zoap from many different parts, including OZ Kush and Rainbow Sherbet, also known as the RS strain line. Zoap captures the type of soap you would buy at a farmers market – floral, earthy and sweet. It has also secured a spot in Cups and secured spots in several Zalympix and Hash Bashes. Your brain needs Zoap like your body needs soap. Zoap had great success this year, but it's still not as widely available as Super Boof, nor is it as popular among budtenders.
Related
How we choose the leaf variety of the year
3rd place: lemon cherry gelato
Oh, LCG. Should I compare you to a summer day? You are so loud and so sweet. This Backpackboyz creation takes a well-known cross, Sunset Sherbet x Thin Mint, but its variant reveals a visually striking strain with bold, tart citrus and Gelato's signature euphoria. It has a trophy case full of reasons to give it a try, including two High Times Cup victories, a handful of Farmer's Cup victories, and finishes on multiple best-of lists. It has made its rounds across the country, appearing on dispensary menus from California to New York. We love LCG, but it just wasn't new enough to be named Leaf Variety of the Year.
Runner-up: Tropical Slushie
Slushie, more precisely Tropical Slushie, comes from the not very tropical state of Colorado and its Cannarado breeding area. Blending Snowman's trichomes and papaya's mysterious fruitiness creates a strain that's sweet enough to sip.
It is new to our database, but already has a reputation for having complex terpenes and, surprisingly, an arousing effect. Slushie is available in half as many clubs as Super Boof, and it hasn't caught on with budtenders or the awards circuit – yet!
1. Runner-up: Glitter Bomb
A glitter bomb requires vibrancy and surprise, so any variety named after it must also delight its audience. The complex breeding of OGKB Blueberry Headband x Grape Gas #10 by Compound Genetics creates both a prismatic plant and prismatic terps. Glitter Bomb catches the eye with its thick, opaque trichomes and the nose with its sharp petrol berry aromas. Still, Glitter Bomb is 400 times less on menus than Super Boof and lacked any budtender or competitive excitement.
How do we choose the leaf variety of the year each year?
Leafly Strain of the Year aims to encapsulate the essence of the cannabis connoisseur conversations that have taken place across the country and online worldwide over the past year.
We combine two approaches to land on the leaf variety of the year each year: 1) a qualitatively Approach informed by 2) data of unprecedented quantitatively Insight into national exposure trends.
The Quality: Leafly has almost complete access to the quality aspects of weed. We smoke hundreds of new strains every year and travel the world interviewing growers, growers, buyers, budtenders, smokers and influencers to get a tactile feel for what's being smoked. We literally have filing cabinets full of new grass.
…there is no ChatGPT prompt that would ever hallucinate anything close to the leaf variety of the year.
The Quantitative: We take all of these smoke notes and insights and go back to our analytics to look for new strains that had breakthroughs in terms of national menu penetration, strain detail page sessions, and other data factors – similar to what the NFL picks their most valuable player every year. With nearly 6,000 strains in the database, thousands of listed store menus, and millions of monthly active users – only Leafly has this insight into the data of modern strains and the sensory properties of smoking them.
Until computers are able to handle, smell, taste, and get high on the weed beat in the US, there is no ChatGPT prompt that would ever hallucinate anything close to the leaf strain of the year. So thank you so much for rocking with us.
Post a comment: